Higher-level programming languages, such as Multidimensional Expressions (MDX) or FIREFLY software tools, are becoming ubiquitous. Higher-level programming languages are typically programming languages that are independent of the computer system on which they are operated and are more similar to human languages than machine languages, which directly control the operations of a computer system.
Computer operators expect to be able to give computer systems instructions in higher-level programming languages. The higher-level programming languages have to be translated, often through multiple layers, to machine language to perform the operations requested by the computer operator.